所以然

suóyǐrán

the reason why; the whys and wherefores

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suo3 yi3 ran2

the reason why

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所以然

suǒ yǐ rán

the reason why; the whys and wherefores:

知其然而不知其所以然 know that sth. is so but not why it is so; know what is done but not why it is done; know what happened, but not its whys and wherefores;

他说不出个所以然来。 He could not explain why it was so.

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所以然|所以然 [suǒ yǐ rán] ► the reason why